Sly groggers risking lives

Tactics used by Cape smugglers revealed

FAKE suicide reports and decoy cars are among the tactics being used by sly groggers to defy police and smuggle contraband booze into Cape York communities.

Alcohol continues to fetch up to 11 times its retail value in the dry or near-dry communities with offenders often sneaking into town late at night after dangerous, high speed trips on unsealed bush tracks under the cover of darkness.

The revelations are contained in a report being released by a team of James Cook University researchers today.

The study focuses on indigenous communities across the entire state, including in Cape York and the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Cairns-based Professor Alan Clough, who led the research team, said the communities where total prohibition was in place had the most serious sly grogging issues.

These include Far North communities Aurukun, Napranum, Lockhart River, Wujal Wujal and Mornington Island.

Fellow researcher Dr Michelle Fitts said some illicit suppliers were also monitoring local police, alerting the grog runners and calling in nonexistent crashes to deflect attention.

“I heard reports of people bringing in illicit alcohol at night, without headlights, at speed, on unsealed roads and bush tracks, with vehicles heavily loaded with alcohol and people,” she said.

Prof Clough said the research, done during 2015 and 2016, showed more needed to be done to tackle alcohol addiction problems, rather than just targeting offenders.

“There has never really been a serious effort to treat addiction (in the communities),” he said.

“Even though it was promised, it never really happened.”

Cape York police Insp Paul James said the tactics identified by researchers to bring booze in were unsurprising.

He said people had been busted smuggling alcohol in nappy bags or flying into communities with it strapped to their bodies.

“(Dealing with sly grog) is a daily part of policing up in the Cape,” he said.

I HEARD REPORTS OF PEOPLE BRINGING IN ILLICIT ALCOHOL AT NIGHT, WITHOUT HEADLIGHTS, AT SPEED, ON UNSEALED ROADS ... WITH VEHICLES HEAVILY LOADED WITH ALCOHOL AND PEOPLE

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